Pharmaceutical composition which inhibits the growth of a tumor

Abstract

Extracts which were recovered with aqueous extraction media from the pollen of plants inhibit the growth of tumor-cells and stimulate at the same time the metabolism of normal healthy cells. Said extracts of pollen which do not contain more than 5% by weight of proteins having a high molecular weight or which are completely free of such proteins of high molecular weight, are used as active ingredient of corresponding pharmaceutical preparations and they are used for treating cancer, tumors and leukemia in human beings or warm blooded animals. Living leukemia cells are rapidly killed by said extracts. The pollen extracts in question are a yellowish-white product and they usually contain, referred to the dry weight of the pollen extracts, at least 70% by weight of carbohydrates, 5-12% by weight of amino acids, peptides and/or proteinous substances and furthermore water soluble vitamines of the group B and mineral constituents. From said yellowish-white pollen extracts a new fraction was isolated which is, compared with the pollen extracts, enriched in amino acids and/or peptides and/or proteinous substances.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of inhibiting the growth of tumor-cells and stimulating the metabolism of normal healthy cells including the step of administering a preparation containing as active ingredient a pollen extract recovered from plant pollen by an extraction with an aqueous extraction medium, which pollen extract contains not more than 5% by weight of proteins having a high molecular weight. 
     
     
       2. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which said preparation contains as active ingredient a corresponding dried pollen extract which is a yellow to white powder, has a water content of less than 12% by weight and which contains, referred to the total weight of said pollen extract, at least 70% by weight of carbohydrates, 5 to 12% by weight of materials selected from the group consisting of amino acids, peptides and proteinous materials and furthermore water soluble vitamines of the group B. 
     
     
       3. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which said preparation contains as active ingredient the fraction of the extract of pollen recovered with the aqueous extraction medium which is enriched in its content of materials selected from the group consisting of amino acids, peptides and proteinous materials. 
     
     
       4. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which said extract is completely free of said proteins of high molecular weight. 
     
     
       5. A method as in claim 1 in which said preparation is produced by a process wherein the dried pollen of plants are extracted with an aqueous extraction medium, thereafter high molecular proteins are degraded by a microorganism completely or until a maximum content of not more than 5% by weight of said proteins of high molecular weight is to be found in the product, referred to the dry weight thereof which degradation of the proteins of high molecular weight yields products selected from the group consisting of proteins of low molecular weight peptides and amino acids and wherein thereafter the pollen residues are separated from the aqueous medium and the solvent evaporated from said aqueous medium by vacuum evaporation yielding a yellowish white product. 
     
     
       6. A method as in claim 5 in which said preparation producing process comprises enriching a fraction isolated from the yellowish white product in substances selected from the group consisting of amino acids, peptides and proteinous materials, which fraction, however, contains not more than 5% by weight, referred to the dry weight of said product of proteins having a high molecular weight or which is completely free of such proteins of high molecular weight, by dissolving the yellowish white product in water, mixing it with a completely water miscible organic solvent, and wherein the formed precipitate is isolated and dried, which precipitate is enriched in amino acids, peptides or proteinous substances. 
     
     
       7. A method as in claim 6 wherein said preparation producing process comprises the precipitation of the substances selected from the group consisting of amino acids, peptides and proteinous substances by adding to the aqueous solution acetone and benzoic acid. 
     
     
       8. A method as in claim 6 in which said water miscible organic solvent is a lower alcohol or a lower ketone and in which an organic acid is added. 
     
     
       9. A method as in claim 5 in which said preparation producing process comprises enriching a fraction isolated from the yellowish white powder in substances selected from the group consisting of amino acids, peptides and proteinous substances is isolated by submitting said powder to a chromatographic separation using a column, and by collecting the fractions in which amino acids and/or peptides and/or proteinous substances can be detected by the nin-hydrine test. 
     
     
       10. A method of inhibiting the growth of tumor cells and stimulating the metabolism of normal healthy cells including the step of administering a mixture containing substances from the groups consisting of amino acids, proteinous substances and peptides which is a corresponding fraction isolated from an extract of plant pollen which has been recovered using an aqueous extraction medium. 
     
     
       11. Process for treating cancer, tumors and leukemia in human beings or warm blooded animals by administering to them an extract of a pollen of plants which had been recovered from the plant pollen by using an aqueous extraction medium, which pollen extract contains not more than 5% by weight of proteins having a high molecular weight.